Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1887-08-11
BAT AND BALL.
The League Battle for the Champion.
ship-A Glance at the
Field.
Prospects of the Various Clubs : Better
Ball Playing This Year than
Ever Before.
ToH1cAeo CORRESPONDENCE. ]

Fourteen weeks Of the League champion
ship season have passed, and the teams IN
the race, from the leaders to the tail-end-
ers are playing better ball, upon the aver
age, than has been known before in the
history of the game professionally. In the
opinion of nine out of ten Chicagoans
nothing short of the collapse of the team
can prevent the White Stockings from
winning the pennant again this season.
This is most gratifying change in the
drift of public opinion and sentiment, for
not more than six weeks ago an indignant
public in this city was freely expressing its
disgust at the policy of President Spald-
ing and Capt. Arson in releasing what was
looked upon as the most valuable men III
the team, and thus ruinlng the chances OF
the city for even decent standing in this
years race. Messrs. Anson and Spalding.
however, builded wiser than the public
knew, with the result that Chicago has
probably the most capable ball team to-
day that it ever had. The race
thus far has been desperate struggle
from the start. With such strong clubs as
Pittsburg, Philadelphia, New York, Bos-
ton, and Detroit ahead of him, Ansons
task to pilot his own nine to the top was
thought to be too great for the famous
captain to accomplish. But he has done
it, thanks to his own matchless guidance
and the wonderful playing Of his men, and
to-day he stands the same excellent chance
of winning the flag as he did ut this time
last year. The squirt made by the Chica-
gos is without parallel in the history of
the league. 1t is record such as will prob
ably not be made again in years. Letters of
congratulatory nature have been pouring
in upon Anson from all sections of the
country for more than month past, and
there seems not to be sign remaining of
the condemnatory and critical spirit that
existed everywhere against Anson and the
club at the outset of the season.
HOME AGAIN.
The champions returned last week from
their second Eastern trip, and are now upon
the Chicago grounds for q series of games
with all the Eastern clubs and three games
with Detroit. The boys are playing PEN
nant ball in every game. The three bat
teries are in splendid form, and every man
in the team has got his eyes on the ball.
Sullivan, Pfetfer, Clarkson and Baldwin
have picked up in their batting the past
week. while Burns, Van Haltren and Will
hanson have dropped off little. The
most pronounced feature of the teams play
is the feld-work of Pfetfer, Burns and
williamson. The latter is without doubt
the finest short stop in the League. His
phenomenal, and is attracting attention all
over the country. Glasscock's title of
"King of Short Stops" Is rapidly waning in
the light of Williamsons work. Pletfer is
also playing remarkable ball, and the same
may be said of Burns. The out-teld ap-
pears to be pretty near impregnable. Sui
hvan is covering more ground than a sum-
mer squash-vine, and Ryan, in center, is
attending to nearly everything that comes
his way.
BOSTON'S WORK.
AS for Boston, the team next to Chicago
in the race, there seems to be something
between its players and winning ball
which even the influence of the great and
only Kelly con not dispel. 1t seems TO be
peculiarly unfortunate away from home.
When the boys frem the Hub came West
early in the summer Kelly got SO badly
crippled that he could not play. Several
other members of the team were suffering
from injuries. The boys had not been
away from home two days on the present
trip when Hornung was taken i'll and had
to be left in New York. Kelly is now
doubled up with cramps, and is scarcely
able to plaS, With Kelly and Hornung
out of condition, there isn't much
left in the Boston team TO whip. The
club will be in great luck if it regains the
ground..it has lost during the past week.
THE OTHER CLUBS.
1t would be well for everybody to keep
an eye on Philadelphia and New York.
These clubs are not SO very far behind, and,
what is more interesting, they are playing
CT ho1 ha oJ, ~
or both of these Clubs will cause some
trouble. OF the tail-enders Pittsburgh gh
has been playing the better ball during the
past week. The fielding of this team has
been very fine all season, but they are still
lamentably weak with the stick. If this
club had had q half-dozen good batters at
the beginning of the season it would have
hand in the fight to-day. Indianapolis
and Washington are showing a marked
improvement in playing strength, the
Eastern club in particular playing some of
the greatest ball recorded this year.
A great many people seem to have made
up their minds that Detroit is going to
take very big tumble in the race. One
opinion that it will be beaten out
by Chicago, Boston, and New York,
and that even Philadelphia will give 1t a
tough tussle before the season ends. In
the opinion of your correspondent this is n
mistaken idea. In the face of all this sort
of predictions that hnve been mnde for n
month past, Detroit has sone right along
playing good ball, defeating the Leagues
best teams, and staying at the top
OF the string in the race, and
the probabilities would, to an unprejudiced
mind, seem to point to its continuing as it
is unless Chicago alone among ail the
9TH clubs can overtake it.
During the past week the management
of the Wolverines has spent no less than
$4,000 in securing new players, fact
which proves more conclusively than any,
thing else that the club intends stayinp in
tie League for not only the present season
but so many more as it chooses. The
three men secured in the latest deals are
good ones. Gruber, the successful pitcher
of the Hartford Comm Club, was
the first one signed, and he has been tried
and has given satisfaction. The others
are Beatin and Kinslow, the crack battery
of the Allentown Pa.) Club, and if rec
ords count for anything they will prove
valuable additions 10 the nine. With the
new material! thus secured the club has a
great deal more material than is needed.
and it is but natural to suppose that some
OF those who are considered the least use
full will be allowed to go. The probabli-
ties are that Briody and Weidman will be
among those which the club will let 90.
Con CREGAN.
EDITOR ANTHONY,S PISTOL